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110
Professionally
Speaking
|
March
2018
G
O
V
E
R
N
I
N
G
O
U
R
S
E
LV
E
S
COUNCIL
MEETINGS
NEW
COUNCIL
MEMBERS
COLLEGE
NEWS
•
received
a
delegation
from
Ontario
Teachers'
Federation's
president
Chris
Cowley
regarding
the
College's
2018
budget
and
annual
membership
fees;
•
received
a
presentation
from
Bill
Steer,
OCT,
seeking
Council
representation
for
Ontario
Certifi
ed
Teachers
work-
ing
in
NGOs
and
industry;
•
received
a
quarterly
report
on
oper-
ations
from
the
Registrar;
•
received
a
quarterly
report
from
the
Chair
of
Council;
•
approved
a
2018
College
budget
of
$44,462,838,
including
an
unchanged
annual
membership
fee
of
$150.
To
off-
set
budget
pressures,
the
College
would
draw
$2.6
million
from
its
reserves;
•
endorsed
a
process
to
renew
the
College's
strategic
priorities;
•
amended
College
bylaws
to
complement
regulatory
changes
so
that
member
profi
les
on
the
public
register
refl
ect
any
certifi
cate,
diploma
or
advanced
diplo-
mas
granted
to
applicants
at
the
time
of
certifi
cation
related
to
their
techno-
logical
education
qualifi
cations,
and
any
acceptable
work
experience
and
compe-
tence
demonstrated
by
the
applicant
at
the
time
of
certifi
cation
related
to
their
technological
education
qualifi
cations;
•
amended
College
bylaws
to
allow
dif-
ferent
or
former
member
names
on
the
College
register
in
the
interests
of
per-
sonal
safety
and
gender
consistency;
•
amended
its
procedures
regarding
debate
to
enable
the
mover
of
a
motion
to
speak
fi
rst
in
debate
for
up
to
fi
ve
minutes;
and
•
moved
the
June
meeting
of
Council
to
June
7–
8,
2018.
PS
AT
ITS
MEETING
DECEMBER
7,
2017,
COLLEGE
COUNCIL:
To
support
its
ongoing
commitment
to
diversity,
the
College
recently
updated
the
online
application
form
and
members'
area
to
include
a
third
gender-identifi
cation
option.
As
well
as
providing
members
with
the
ability
to
self-identify,
standard
corres-
pondence
will
refl
ect,
wherever
possible,
gender-neutral
language.
This
initiative
supports
the
College's
ongoing
commitment
to
inclusivity
and
respect
when
communi-
cating
with
applicants,
College
members
and
the
public.
PS
COLLEGE
ADVANCES
DIVERSITY
WITH
NEW
POLICY
Marlène
Marwah
The
College
Council
welcomes
new
Council
member
Marlène
Marwah,
who
was
appointed
in
November
2017
for
a
three-year
term.
Marwah
has
dedicated
her
career
to
advancing
the
French
language
at
post-secondary
levels,
govern-
ment
and
various
corporations
in
Ontario.
She
has
been
a
French-language
instruct-
or
for
more
than
20
years
at
a
number
of
institutions
including
the
University
of
Toronto,
the
Alliance
Française,
both
the
federal
(Superior
Court
judges)
and
provincial
governments,
as
well
as
the
Law
Society
of
Ontario.
Some
of
her
students
have
included
Karen
Kain,
Gerard
Kennedy,
Kelly
Burke,
assistant
deputy
minister
for
francophone
affairs,
and
Eric
Hoskins,
minister
of
Children
and
Youth
Services
(now
minister
of
Health
and
Long-Term
Care).
Prior
to
becoming
a
private
instructor,
Marwah
was
a
profes-
sional
translator,
completing
various
texts
for
clients
including
the
University
of
Toronto,
Royal
Ontario
Museum
and
North
American
Life
Assurance
Company.
She
holds
a
master
of
arts
(linguistics)
from
the
University
of
Toronto,
a
Certifi
cat
d'enseignement
du
français
langue
seconde
from
George
Brown
College,
and
a
bachelor
of
arts
from
the
University
of
Toronto.
Michelle
Miner-Seal
The
College
Council
welcomes
new
Council
member
Michelle
Miner-Seal,
who
was
appoint-
ed
in
November
2017
for
a
three-year
term.
Miner-Seal
is
a
Certifi
ed
Human
Resources
Executive
(CHRE)
and
an
accredited
mediator
through
Mediators
without
Borders.
Fluent
in
French,
Miner-Seal
is
a
skilled
exec-
utive
with
over
25
years
of
experience
directing
human
resources
and
labour
relations.
She
is
also
a
negotiator,
investigator,
interviewer
and
published
writer.
Miner-Seal
has
worked
with
various
federal
government
departments
and
agencies,
Crown
corporations,
provincial
health-care
agencies,
the
public
sector
and
not-for-profi
t
organizations.
She
has
served
on
the
board
of
directors
of
the
United
Way
of
Ottawa
and
the
Human
Resources
Professionals
Association.
Miner-Seal
holds
a
Master
of
Industrial
Relations
degree
from
Queen's
University.
PS
The
College
has
implemented
a
new
policy
to
adopt
gender-
inclusive
language
across
the
organization.
F
I
N
A
L
E
X
A
M
116
Professionally
Speaking
|
March
2018
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60
DAYS
60
DAYS
before
you
retire
Describe
yourself
in
elementary
school.
Creative.
Hard
working.
Bookworm.
Describe
yourself
in
high
school.
Rebel.
Leader.
Director.
What
was
your
favourite
subject?
Creative
writing.
Favourite
literary
pieces
studied?
Jane
Eyre
by
Charlotte
Brontë,
A
Tree
Grows
in
Brooklyn
by
Betty
Smith
and
a
biography
of
the
ballerina
Anna
Pavlova.
Who
is
your
favourite
fi
ctional
teacher?
Mark
Thackeray
(portrayed
by
Sidney
Poitier)
in
To
Sir
With
Love.
Favourite
historical
fi
gures?
Anne
Frank.
Who
is
your
favourite
fi
ctional
hero?
Peter
Pan.
Which
subject
do
you
wish
you
had
paid
more
attention
to?
Math.
What
did
you
excel
at
in
school?
Doing
my
own
thing.
PHOTO:
KATHERINE
HOLLAND
What
did
you
struggle
with?
Authority.
As
a
student,
what
career
path
did
you
dream
of
following?
Acting.
What
natural
gift
did
you
wish
to
possess
during
your
school
days?
I
wish
I
had
the
talent
to
be
a
great
actor.
What
do
you
wish
you
had
been
taught
in
school
but
weren't?
Business.
Quality
you
most
appreciated
in
a
teacher?
Being
empathetic
and
entertaining.
Favourite
way
to
spend
recess?
Practising
my
lines
or
reading
a
book.
Favourite
school
lunch?
Going
to
Famous
Delly
Boys
with
my
sister
for
a
burger,
fries
and
a
cherry
cola.
Favourite
extracurricular
activity?
Drama
and
writing
Erica's
Teen
Scene
weekly
column
for
the
local
newspaper.
Most
embarrassing
moment
at
school?
When
someone
put
a
dead
fi
sh
in
my
locker.
Lesson
learned
in
kindergarten
that
still
applies
today?
Fight
the
bullies.
Fondest
school-related
memory?
Directing
the
school
play.
Strongest
memory
from
your
graduation
day?
The
big
party
at
my
house
after
gradua-
tion
that
the
entire
grade
attended.
If
you
could
pick
any
time
to
attend
school
in,
which
would
you
choose?
I
would
go
back
to
the
simplicity
of
Little
House
on
the
Prairie.
If
you
could
create
a
new
course,
which
would
you
choose?
Success:
How
to
get
what
you
want
in
life.
Best
advice
given
at
school?
My
university
professor
told
me
I
wasn't
cut
out
for
school
—
and
that
I
should
pursue
my
passion.
PS
IMPRESSIVE
EHM
Erica
Ehm
—
parent,
blogger
and
former
MuchMusic
VJ
—
discusses
Anna
Pavlova,
Peter
Pan
and
pursing
her
passion.
BY
LAURA
BICKLE
NAME:
Erica
Ehm
•
Born
Erica
Miechowsky,
in
Montréal
•
Attended
Westminster
Public
School
(Grades
1–6)
and
Wentworth
Public
School
(Grades
7–8)
in
Montréal,
and
Hudson
High
School
in
Hudson,
Que.
•
Studied
theatre
and
English
at
Marianopolis
College
in
Montréal
•
Graduated
with
a
BA
from
the
University
of
Ottawa
in
1982
•
Started
working
at
MuchMusic
in
1982,
becoming
a
video
jockey
from
1985–94,
when
she
left
to
pursue
her
songwriting
career
•
Her
songs
have
been
recorded
by
Van
Morrison,
country
singers
Cassandra
Vasik
and
Tim
Thorney,
as
well
as
actor
Tom
Jackson
•
Received
three
Canadian
Country
Music
Association
Awards
and
three
SOCAN
Awards
•
Wrote
She
Should
Talk:
Conversations
with
Exceptional
Young
Women
about
Life,
Dreams
and
Success
in
1994,
and
co-authored
the
children's
book
The
Mischievous
Mom
at
the
Art
Gallery
in
2010
•
Launched
and
hosted
TV
show
Yummy
Mummy
in
2003
on
the
Life
Network
and
Discovery
Health
•
Created
the
award-winning
yummymummyclub.ca
(now
YMC.ca)
in
2006,
the
largest
independently
owned
online
property
for
moms
in
Canada
•
Wrote
three
family-friendly
stage
musicals:
Caillou's
Big
Party,
The
Big
Comfy
Couch
and
Caillou's
Big
Book
Club
•
CEO
of
digital
publisher
&
marketing
fi
rm
Ehm
&
Co
•
Lives
in
Toronto
with
her
husband
and
two
teenagers
13
letters to the editor
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and to conform to our publication style. To be considered for publication, letters must provide the writer's daytime phone number and
registration number. Address letters to: The Editor, Professionally Speaking at ps@oct.ca or 101 Bloor St. W., Toronto, ON M5S 0A1.
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Ata Teachers ad_2018_color.indd 1 18-02-26 11:47
Story placement concern
On page 110 of the March issue there is a story entitled "College Advances Diversity With New
Policy." I'm not sure what to make of the placement of this piece. On the one hand, this policy
about using gender-inclusive language across the organization is extremely important and on the
cutting edge of organizations that endeavour to be fully inclusive. It's something to be celebrated!
On the other hand, I wonder if placement of this avant-garde policy is buried on page 110
for a reason. Perhaps the College sees this [initiative] in keeping with all they've been doing
in the area of inclusivity, so it no longer needs the spotlight. Or, am I missing something?
—Kevin Welbes, OCT, is an LGBTQ educator/speaker and retired co-ordinator of
Catholic Safer School Training in Ontario for Egale Canada and the Ontario English
Catholic Teachers' Association.
Editor's response: The Governing Ourselves section of the magazine, which can be found
at the back, is where we publish information and news items pertaining to College initiatives
and other College-related news.
Better due diligence needed
It was with great surprise that I found myself reading a Q&A
with Erica Ehm in the March issue. As a child of the music
video generation, I grew up watching Ms. Ehm on MuchMusic.
I looked forward to seeing her on TV and always admired her.
That changed in 2015 when I came across an article at-
tacking teachers written by Ms. Ehm during the work-to-rule
campaign — a particularly difficult period of negotiations
between the province and the teachers of Ontario.
Ms. Ehm made her views about teachers' actions quite
clear. While she is entitled to her opinions, her public
and malicious attack on teachers a mere three years ago
makes her the last person I want to hear from in a teacher
magazine that I help fund
through my annual fees. I find
it unacceptable to see her
comments within the pages of
Professionally Speaking.
I would appreciate it if the
College would kindly be more
circumspect in its choice of
interviewees in future issues.
—Jennifer Sequeira, OCT,
teaches Grade 8 at
St. Thomas More Separate
School in the Dufferin-Peel
Catholic District School Board.